Of three quotes over the weekend two made me smile and one made me angry. One smile was for Mr Jenas and his claims that his team will be challenging for Champions League football next season. That will be some leap for the Spuds who have finished over 30 points behind the fourth placed team. JJ try to get in the top half of the table first before you start insulting good solid teams like Villa and Everton. The other is for disco dancer Sir Alex, who said that he was getting anxious against Wigan, probably because 25 minutes had gone by and the ref had still not awarded the Mancs a penalty. If only Arsene had that man’s luck.

However Flamini’s explanation that “the pain of losing the Premiership” was the reason why he left Arsenal took the biscuit. Let me remind this man what the pain of losing is really about. In 1964 a tough Scot joined us from Leicester City. This wing back had lost two cup finals at Wembley first to the Spuds double winning team in 61 and then to Man Utd in 1963. He joined Arsenal at a period of change as Arsenal began to slide further into mediocrity and the realization was beginning to dawn on the board that the halcyon days would not come back just because they were Arsenal. After managerial changes Arsenal finally won through to the 1968 League Cup Final where a blatant foul by Jack Charlton set up the win for Leeds - that was Frank McLintock’s third Wembley final defeat.

The following year Arsenal were again back in the League Cup final, this time against a team two divisions below them. However an awful pitch plus a bout of flu that hit Arsenal the week before conspired along with the brilliant wing play of Don Rogers to give a sensational victory for west country club Swindon Town. If he were made of weaker stuff he would have jacked it in but after that, his fourth defeat at Wembley and still not a winner, Frank McLintock led Arsenal through to the final of the Fairs Cup the following year.

In the first leg, again the roof fell in and the team he captained were 3-0 down and in the final minutes a young sub (who is now in much more pain than you will ever understand Mathieu) scored a consolation goal. In the weeks before the return leg that consolation goal became more and more important as it gave the team belief that the cup could be won and the fact that a 2-0 win was all that was required built hopes high. I was privileged along with 55,000 others at Highbury that night to witnessed a classic patient performance and saw the beginning of what became a tough uncompromising championship winning side.

For me that game showed what bottle Frank McLintock had. Facing a possible fifth cup final defeat, he won that game for Arsenal before the match started when he made it crystal clear to every player as he cajoled them before kick off that if they “f**ked up” they would have him to deal with. The 3-0 win ended 17 lean years and swept away the Corinthian attitude of the Arsenal hierarchy, setting up the team for its double winning season the following year when Frank finally lifted the FA Cup.

So Mr Flamini, enjoy Italy - I hope we meet you in the Champions League where no doubt some unknown player will boss the mid field for the Gooners. But please next time you are asked why you left just tell the truth “I left because Milan are going to pay me shed loads of money and I just could not refuse”. Had you have said that I would not have batted an eyelid and would not have written this rant. But please don’t talk bollocks about the pain of losing because compared to some of our past players who have felt the real pain of losing before coming back again and again to lift the top domestic honours you have done and lost nothing.

If you really want to talk about pain, I as a fan still feel the pain of your 15 minutes in the 2006 Champions League final when we really needed fresh legs to stem the relentless tide of blue and red and you failed miserably. One good season does not give you the right to talk about your pain when some of our past players worked so hard to make Arsenal what they are - a top world team. And Frank for me in an all Arsenal eleven would be my first name on the sheet because he kept coming back for more despite all his disappointments. He did not turn tail and run away from his team-mates because he found an easy way out. I watched him at White Lane this month 37 years ago guide our team to a famous Championship which enabled me and thousands of others to paint ‘The Lane’ red and white after we secured a famous win. You see Mathieu, “the pain of losing” is what makes people winners and gives us nights like May 3rd 1971 and captains like Frank McLintock.